Joint construction for paving slabs



Feb. 1o, 1953 w. E. WHITE 2,627,793

JOINT CONSTRUCTION FOR PAVING SLABS Filed May 31, 1947 2 SHEETS-SHEET l Feb. 10, 1953 w. E. WHITE 2,627,793

JOINT CONSTRUCTION FOR PAVING SLABS Filed May 3l, 194'? 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Patented Feb. 10, 1953 JOINT CONSTRUCTION FOR PAVING SLABS William E. White, Bethlehem, Pa., assigner to Bethlehem Steel Company, a corporation of Pennsylvania Application May 31, 1947, Serial No. 751,519

(Cl. S34-18) 4 Claims.

My invention relates to a joint construction as developed for use in forming concrete slab joints for run-ways of air-iields but which may be used for roadway or door slab joints.

One object of my invention is to provide a joint construction in which the dowels, spacer bars and supports are completely fabricated in the shop so that skilled mechanics or special handling devices are not required at the job site.

Another object or" my invention is to provide a joint construction in which `the units may be nested for compact shipment and which may be easily and quickly assembled with the composii tion joint filler so that the assembly may be made and placed in position by relatively un skilled labor at the job site.

Still another object of my invention is to provide a joint construction which will have great rigidity and will retain its proper shape and position, when the slabs are poured, without the use of auxiliary means or equivalent.

Having thus briefly described my invention, I will now refer to the two drawings which form a part of this speciiication.

Figure l is a perspective View of my improved road joint construction in which the composition joint filler is partially broken away at the lower right hand portion of the view.

Figure 2 shows an end view of one of the dowels f..

with a section through the dowel cap taken on line 2-2 of Figure 3.

Figure 3 is a cross sectional view through the joint showing the dowels in position in the concrete slabs.

Figure 4 is a top view of the joint construction with the joint filler removed.

Figure 5 is a side view of the construction shown in Figure 4.

Figure 6 is a section taken through the center of Figure 4 as indicated by line `tnt.

Figure 7 is a perspective View of the split sheet metal dowel cap.

Figures 8, 9, l0v and 11 are side views showing a dowel cap in the various stages of being placed in position upon the end of a dowel.

Figure 12 is an end view of the dowel cap.

Referring in detail to the drawings, It indicates the sub-grade upon which the concrete slabs II and I2 rest, between these slabs is the composition joint filler I3, which may be of pressed cork, rubber, bituminous treated bre or other suitable material which will allow for expansion or contraction of the concrete slabs il and I2. The joint nller is provided with a protection cap I4. The dowels I5 are held in properly spaced position by the sinuous bars I6 together with the straight bars II, at sub-grade level are the substantially straight bars I 8, extending froln the bars I8 past the bars I'I are the slightly inclined supports I9 having hooked ends 2li which partially encircle the dowels I5. rihese supports Izl are secured to bars Il and I8 by welding. Alternate dowels are secured to both the upper loop of the sinuous bar IB and the loop of the support I9 on the same side of the joint by welds at 2I and 22. It will be seen that the spacing and supporting means on one side of the joint are thus secured to half the number of dowels in the joint and the spacing and supporting means on the opposite side of the joint are secured to the other half of the dowels. This provides two identical units for each joint structure which can be shipped in bundles containing several units, conveniently nested, which upon arrival at the job site may be quickly assembled with the joint filler. Since the units are alike no time is required to select pieces to suit certain conditions or locations. One of these units is placed on each side of the joint ller and the dowels are inserted through spaced holes in the iiller until the sinuous bars I6 contact the composition ller I3. A split dowel cap 23 is then placed upon the unattached end of each dowel I5. In Figures 4, 5 and 6, the ends of the straight bar I8 are bent horizontally as shown at 2d and welded to the ends of the sinuous bar It while the ends of bar Il are bent downwardly at 25 and Welded to the portion 2li. While this treatment of the ends of the spacer bars is not claimed as a part of my invention it provides a method of not only stiifening the ends of the units but eliminates rough ends which might cause injury or otherwise prove a nuisance when handling or shipping the units.

The dowel cap 23 which is shown in Figures '7 to '12 inclusive is stamped from sheet metal and may conveniently be shipped in the form shown in Figure 7. It consists of two throughlike portions 26 and 21 with an intermediate rounded portion 28. The portion 26 has a hooked end 29 and a nodular protuberance 30 in proximity thereto, while the portion 21 has side flanges 3| and an end projection 32. In applying this cap to the dowel the procedure is as follows: the hooked end 29 is placed over bar I'I directly beneath the dowel I5 with the nodular protuberance 36 against the bar as shown in Figure 8, the cap is then swung about the bar l1 as a pivot until the trough portion 2B engages the bottom of the dowel as in Figure 9, the portion 21' is then brought into engagement with the dowel by swinging and bending at the yieldable lines 33 and 34, this position as shown in Figure 10 leaves the portion 28 in an inclined position with 33 in advance of 34. End projection 32 which is now adjacent the hooked end of support i9 is pressed downwardly in contact with the dowel and the trough-like portion 217 is slid longitudinally of the dowel until the projection 32 is held beneath the hooked end 20 and the portion 2S is in a substantially vertical position. This type of cap has the advantage of easy application to the end of a dowel even though the end may be burred, roughened, or out of round due to cutting whereas a cylindrical cap would not be applicable unless it had an inside diameter considerably in excess of the normal dowel diameter.

While I have shown and described my invention in considerable detail, I do not wish to be limited to the `exact and specific details shown and described but it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes and modifications may be made without departing from the spirit thereof and I desire, therefore, that only such limitations shall be placed thereupon as are imposed by the prior art or as are specifically set forth in the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I ;.f

claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a joint construction for paving slabs an assembly comprising a composition joint filler, a longitudinal vertically sinuous bar adjacent to each side of said ller, a series of spaced dowels piercing the joint ller, substantially straight longitudinal bars adjacent to either end of said dowels, a second pair of straight bars at the bottom of the joint structure adapted to rest upon a sub-grade and parallel to but slightly further from the joint than the rst mentioned straight bars, inclined supports at each dowel with securing means to straight bars at both levels, also means attaching the dowels to the sinuous and straight spacer bars on the same side of the joint, the unattached dowel end provided with a cap of sheet material or the like comprising a split tubular member in which the halves may be applied to the dowel in a pincerlike manner with the end as the fulcrum and the tcp half pushed longitudinally of the dowel to be engaged by a hooked portion on the upper end of said inclined support and the cap be thus held in position.

2. In a dowel bar assembly a plurality of spaced parallel dowels, parallel transverse dowel support rods disposed inwardly of the ends and directly beneath said dowels, ground engaging base rods vertically spaced below each support rod and also spaced outwardly therefrom, inclined support members secured to each pair of vertically spaced rods below the opposite ends of said dowels and being provided with projecting loops above said dowel support rods, a pair of sinuous spacer bars located intermediate the xends of said dowels, alternate dowels being secured to an upper bend of a sinuous bar and the projecting loop of a support member on the same side of the structure, the opposite end of each dowel being slidably received in the loop of a corresponding support member.

3. In a joint construction for paving slabs, an assembly comprising a plurality of spaced dowels, a pair of parallel transverse dowel support rods disposed respectively inwardly oi the ends and directly beneath said dowels, ground engaging base rods vertically spaced below each support rod and also spaced outwardly therefrom, two series of inclined support members secured to `the pair of vertically spaced rods at each side of the structure respectively and being provided with loops projecting above the support rods, a pair of sinuous spacer bars located intermediate the ends of said dowel, each of the upper bends of the sinuous member being aligned with corresponding loops at each side of the structure, a rst set comprising alternate dowels secured to the bend of one of the sinuous bars and also to the corresponding loop at the same side of the structure and slidingly engaged by the corresponding loop at the opposite side of the structure and a second series comprising the remaining dowels secured to the bend of the other sinuous bar and to the corresponding loop at said opposite side and slidingly engaged by the corresponding loop on said same side of the structure.

4. In a dowel bar assembly a plurality of spaced parallel dowels, transverse dowel support rods disposed inwardly of the ends and directly beneath said dowels, ground engaging base rods spaced below and outwardly therefrom, inclined support members secured to said base rods below the opposite ends of said dowels and being provided with projecting loops at the upper end thereof, a pair of intermediate spacer bars, alternate dowels being secured to an intermediate spacer bar and the projecting loop of a support member on the same side of the structure, the opposite end of each dowel being slidably received in the loop of a corresponding support member.

WILLIAM E. WHITE.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,093,697 Scholer Sept. 21, 1937 2,164,590 Oates July 4, '1939 2,193,129 Geyer et al Mar. 12, 1940 2,245,972 Friberg June 17, 1941 2,291,157 I-Iillberg July 28, '1942 2,296,195 Varner Sept. 15, 1942 

